Powered by environmental finance, Africa’s largest gene bank helps to bolster biodiversity, food securityJul 15, 2015Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – On the occasion of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark and the Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Chief Executive Officer Naoko Ishii visited today Africa’s largest gene bank, an initiative that links scientists with small-scale farmers to collectively revive and conserve traditional, indigenous seeds in the face of drought, climate change, and progressive erosion of traditional agricultural varieties that will prove vital for the future of food security in Africa.

New UNDP reports put spotlight on development finance needs and challenges for Small Island Developing StatesJul 15, 2015Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Small Island Developing States (SIDS) share a number of common challenges—from exposure to natural hazards and economic shocks, to slow economic growth, limited capacities to raise domestic resources and high debt—and urgently need increases in all forms of financing if they are to meet the post 2015 development goals, according to two new UN Development Programme (UNDP) reports launched today, during the Third International Conference on Financing for Development.